


i've been broken but i'm better everyday

by casualdisaster



Category: Rusty Quill Gaming (Podcast)
Genre: Fluff, It's up to you!, Life Partners, Literal Sleeping Together, M/M, are they romantic or are they not, kind of, spoilers for 179, theyre life partners your honour, this is just more soft nonsense and i have no shame
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-09
Updated: 2020-12-09
Packaged: 2021-03-09 21:07:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,247
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27982794
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/casualdisaster/pseuds/casualdisaster
Summary: Wilde asks Zolf to stay.orEveryone is still exhausted and I will fight Alex to give them one more night of sleep.
Relationships: Zolf Smith/Oscar Wilde
Comments: 31
Kudos: 119





	i've been broken but i'm better everyday

**Author's Note:**

> again, this can be romantic or QP, it's just comfort nonsense
> 
> theyre so relaxed with each other,,, i love them!!
> 
> this now makes my third piece of fanfic for the same pairing, which gives them the highest number of fics per single pair i've written!! i have a feeling jonmartin just about takes it for most words but like,, shush.

When they return to the bunk house for the night, everyone is quietly exhausted, shuffling off to their respective rooms and bunks without so much a word between them all. The kobolds have a room to themselves somewhere else in the bunkhouse, and Zolf watches as Sassraa gives Cel a quick hug before vanishing along with the others. 

The room they all shared before is much the same as when they left it; the chair Zolf used to sit vigil over Oscar is still there, pushed up as close to the bed as possible. Zolf turns, intending to hunt down his own bunk, when Oscar grabs his arm with both hands, rooting him to the spot.

“Stay,” Oscar whispers, and Zolf feels his heart stutter in his chest.

“You sure?” Zolf asks, turning back. The room is dark, lit only by the dim moonlight filtering in from the window above, but with his dark vision Zolf can still make out the lines of Oscar’s face, taut and pale in the silvery light, hoving mere inches in front of Zolf’s own.

“Yeah,” Zolf huffs, taking in the open and naked fear in Oscar’s eyes, “You’re sure.”

Oscar’s eyes widen slightly, and his grip on Zolf’s arm relaxes, letting his hands run down to capture Zolf’s hand in his own,. “You will?” He breathes, as if he genuinely hadn’t expected him to say yes.

“‘Course I will,” he answers, gruffly, “You’re worried ‘bout the- dreams, and whatnot, right?” He gives Oscar’s hand a quick squeeze, then moves past him and drops himself into the chair with a sigh, closing his eyes, tipping his head back and sliding down to stretch his legs out with a muffled groan.

It takes him a moment to realise that while he can hear Cel snoring softly in the next bunk over, he hasn’t yet heard Oscar move. He cracks one eye open, head still tilted backwards, to see what the man is up to. Oscar hasn’t moved, and is just staring at him, almost bashfully, which is so unlike him that Zolf pushes himself back up and takes a long, hard look at the man in front of him.

Then it clicks.

“Oh,” Says Zolf, unable to hide the catch in his voice. He can feel the colour rising into his cheeks as he realises what exactly it is that Oscar is requesting. For his part, Oscar’s face is now flushed as well, but he holds Zolf’s gaze and doesn’t back down.

“Do you still...?”

“Yeah,” Zolf says softly, clearing his throat to disguise the crack in his voice, “I’m still sure.” He says, and stands up. 

Oscar, still flushed, smiles shyly. Zolf swallows, a little stunned by the vulnerability on display, and unable to resist an offer from Oscar Wilde.

They strip quietly to their underthings, and despite having seen the other naked more times than can be counted due to quarantine and checking for the spread of infection, this feels… different, somehow. Zolf’s hands shake as he unbuttons his shirt and slips it off his shoulders, folding it neatly and placing it on the chair. 

Oscar is already in the bed by the time Zolf finishes, assisted in speed by the fact he is wearing fewer layers than the dwarf. Zolf sits himself down on the edge of the bed in order to take his legs off, and he hears Oscar suck in a short breath behind him.

“You don’t have to-” Oscar starts, but Zolf shushes him.

“My knees need a break. Plus, I can’t imagine you want them cold things touchin’ yer leg in the middle of the night.” He mumbles, though he’s not sure he’s actually going to be able to sleep considering the amount of adrenaline this simple act has sent coursing through his veins.

Legs propped against the chair as quietly as Zolf can manage, he swings himself around to lie on his back, his arm pressed up against Oscar’s.

Oscar’s face is a shade darker than normal as he shuffles backwards to put his back against the wall, opening space for Zolf to roll over and lie next to him. Oscar’s body radiates a frankly excessive amount of heat, and every muscle in Zolf’s body is fraught with tension. He doesn’t know what to do with himself, squashed in on a single mattress, pressed up against Oscar himself, but he trusts this man so deeply that he’s prepared to try.

They lay side by side on their backs for a while, breathing shallow and hearts racing. Cel is still snoring in the next bunk, and somewhere on the other side of the room Azu is muttering to herself in her sleep.

“I-” Oscar starts, then stops to let out a short breath. The sound of a tongue swiping over dry lips sends a flood of something hot through Zolf, and then Oscar speaks again.

“Thank you,” He says, and Zolf gets the feeling that wasn’t what he was trying to say, but chooses to let it go.

“Come here,” he grumbles, shifting onto his side and lifting his chin slightly, sliding one arm underneath Oscar and rolling him into his chest. Oscar makes a noise of muffled surprise, but allows himself to be folded into Zolf’s embrace, sighing deeply as Zolf’s arms close around him, tucking his face in under Zolf’s chin, and pressing his face into Zolf’s chest hair.

Oscar hums in appreciation as Zolf begins to run his fingers lazily up and down Oscar’s back, and smiles as he feels Oscar give a whole body shiver, before all of his held tension begins to gradually bleed into relaxation. 

“That’s it,” Zolf murmurs into Oscar’s hair, looking down through drooping eyelids to see the white of Oscar’s hair mixing with the white of his own beard, and feels a fuzzy sort of rightness bloom in his chest. Oscar’s skin is soft and warm, and he smells like woodsmoke mixed with a tinge of magic.

Eventually, as Oscar’s breathing becomes deep and regular, Zolf can tell the exact moment he shifts from waking to sleep. After Japan, and all the times he had to fight with Oscar just to get him to let go of his paperwork, leave his desk and at least try to sleep, Zolf feels a growling sense of pride and satisfaction that Oscar fell asleep in his arms so quickly. 

He can feel sleep pulling at him in the same gentle way that the tide pulls against the shore, and with a kiss dropped onto the top of Oscar’s head, Zolf lays his cheek against Oscar and lets sleep take him. And, for the first time in who knows how long, they both sleep deeply and dreamlessly.

When Zolf wakes the next morning, warm and comfortable, he finds himself on his back, with Oscar snoring softly while sprawled across his chest, his legs curled under Zolf’s own. He takes in the morning light that’s filtering in through the window high in the wall, and glances across the room, noting with a sense of resigned acceptance that all other beds are empty. The rest of the crew are going to be insufferable.

With a small sigh, Zolf strokes Oscar’s back with the hand that’s already wrapped around him, gently encouraging him to wake up.

“Mmmmmph,” Oscar drawls, shifting sleepily against Zolf’s side, “Stay.” He mumbles, rubbing his face against Zolf’s chest before burrowing himself in tighter against the dwarf.

So he does.

**Author's Note:**

> this was supposed to be short, just like everything else, but what are u gonna do
> 
> ty to rome for all the sprints that actually let me get through this in a few hours!! <3 <3
> 
> and kudos to U for reading this!! <3 mwah


End file.
